Gov. Kathy Hochul is adding free community college to her affordability plan.
Students at SUNY and CUNY community colleges aged 25-55 may be able to attend classes for free as long as they are going into high-demand fields like healthcare, engineering, cyber security, or advanced manufacturing. Hochul announced the plan at Onondaga Community College Wednesday and said it's an opportunity to expand New York's workforce and generate higher-paying jobs.
"We can reshape the future of thousands and thousands of New Yorkers and create a pipeline of skilled workers to go into our businesses," Hochul said.
SUNY Chancellor John King says the opportunity is built perfectly for community colleges, which are already used to serving adult learners. He says the financial impact earning a degree can have on families is extraordinary.
"Think about the difference for a family that getting that community college degree is going to add 10, 20, even $30,000 to their family income," King said. "This is an incredible investment in New Yorkers."
Hochul said aiming the program at adult learners may allow more families to reach those higher-paying job opportunities.
"They may be thinking, 'I can't afford it now, because I'm already locked in with a family,"" Hochul said. "We just thought that that's a demographic and age group that could really benefit from this."
